TinCaps will invest $800,000 in new venue for fans

The Fort Wayne TinCaps will spend $800,000 to build a party box for up to 150 spectators at Parkview Field.

In a news conference Wednesday, the team announced that the coming “400 Club” will be located 400 feet from home plate and will provide a climate-controlled venue for fans with a long wall of windows. It will have five retractable doors that can make 400 Club open-air or enclosed, as conditions dictate or groups using it prefer.

The money for 400 Club comes entirely from the TinCaps, the team emphasized in a statement announcing the plan. The team also said 400 Club is the first space of its kind in minor-league baseball.

Among the features it provide are an all-you-can-eat menu that includes beer and wine for $40 per person. Although it's designed as a draw for groups, on those game days when it is not reserved for groups, individual fans will be able to watch the action from 400 Club, too.

The TinCaps also noted that the new venue at the ballpark would be designed and built by Fort Wayne talent. Design Collaborative is the lead architect and Weigand Construction will be the project's general contractor.

Construction will begin soon and wrap up by mid-May, according to estimates from the TinCaps.